James Morris (12)

This book was engrossing, but also gross. Im not talking about the part where they eat grubs (that's just good sense in a survival scenario) I'm talking about the protagonists love interest being her teacher. Secondary characters react negatively to this but the protag ignores their rather feeble concerns and the narrative does as well. Iresponsable and creepy of the author to let this go unchallenged.

I didn't really like the main character and I'm unsure if the author intended her to be sympathetic or not. She's presented as an unreliable narrator and morally corrupt, which could be interesting. But she is also implied to be mentally ill (via trauma, neglect, and aforementioned relationship) and so her violence and deception come across as more of a negative trope than a layer to her character.

I wouldn't say I regret reading this book, but I do regret buying it and it's heading right back to Half Price Books where it came from.… (más)

I received this copy from the author.

I wasn't sure what to expect, going in, never having heard of a concept like that of Melophobia. A world without music, where self expression is a crime.

I absolutely enjoyed this reading experience. The voice of the novel at the beginning reads to me like an old detective film, which is what drew me in at first. Then the openness and honesty of the characters kept me reading.

There were so many twists and turns, real characters with flaws and inner and outer conflicts. Every element that makes a great story was there.

And the ending? Powerful. True to the story and the characters. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great crime novel, unexpected twists and turns, a bit of romance and fast paced action.… (más)

I didn't have any particular expectations for this, but rather was just after something short whilst I decided on what I was going to read next.

Pleasantly, it was quite the excellent book, it starts out with a bit of a mystery with a girl in hospital badly burned talking to a cop about what's happened. Slowly the story unfolds, first with a decent amount of background so you have a good feel for circumstances, then the main plot commences. The whole time it flicks between past and present in a fluid and easily absorbed manner, as things progress you can't help but feel sorry for the poor girl thrust into such circumstances and how messed up things are. Then shazam, there's an awesomely timed twist at the end that changes everything you thought you knew about things.

A very good book, just would have liked more of it.… (más)